WEC 186 Bats of Florida1 Holly K. Ober, Martin B. Main, and Ginger M. Allen2 Nocturnal (nighttime) habits, affinity for eerie places, and silent, darting flight have made bats the subjects of a great deal of folklore and superstition through the years. Given their ability to function in the dark when and where humans cannot, it is no wonder that bats have long been associated with the supernatural. Bats remain poorly understood even today. Humans’ general lack of understanding and appreciation of bats has contributed to alarming declines in bat popula- tions. Some of the more important causes of these declines include destruction of habitat, use of harmful pesticides, disturbance of roost sites, proliferation of turbines used to generate wind power, and the spread of white nose Figure 1. Seminole bat (Lasiurus seminolus). syndrome. See http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/uw291 for more Credits: Kathleen Smith, Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission information on issues surrounding the conservation of bats in Florida. Most bats are highly and uniquely adapted to catch night-flying insects. Nocturnal bats locate their food and Bats are the only mammals capable of true flight. Bats are navigate by uttering ultrasonic cries that return as echoes not rodents. They are in the taxonomic order Chiroptera, off solid objects. The large ears and oddly shaped nose and which means “hand-wing.” The forelimbs of bats have the facial configurations of some bats assist in detecting these same configuration as other mammals, but the bones of the echoes. This form of navigation is termed “echolocation.” fingers of bats are extremely elongated to support mem- This technique is also used by dolphins to detect prey and branous wings. The hind limbs are also modified to allow navigate in conditions of low visibility. Once bats detect bats to hang, head-down, by their toes without expending prey, they use their wings, the wing membrane surrounding energy. their tails, and their mouths to catch insects in flight or to pick them off vegetation. Although most bats are insect eaters, some bats specialize in eating other items such as fruit, nectar, pollen, vertebrates, and even blood. All bats resident in Florida eat insects, but a few of the species that 1. This document is WEC 186, one of a series of the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, UF/IFAS Extension. Original publication date October 2004. Revised November 2010, August 2013, November 2016, and October 2019. Visit the EDIS website at https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu for the currently supported version of this publication. 2. Holly K. Ober, associate professor and wildlife Extension specialist, UF/IFAS North Florida Research and Education Center; Martin B. Main, associate dean for Extension natural resources; and Ginger M. Allen, former senior biologist, UF/IFAS Southwest Florida Research and Education Center; UF/IFAS Extension, Gainesville, FL 32611. The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For more information on obtaining other UF/IFAS Extension publications, contact your county’s UF/IFAS Extension office. U.S. Department of Agriculture, UF/IFAS Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A & M University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Nick T. Place, dean for UF/IFAS Extension. occasionally show up in south Florida feed on fruit, nectar, Wildlife Conservation Commission. Photos of all species and pollen. can be found at the Bat Conservation International website (http://www.batcon.org/). All the bats of Florida rest during daylight hours, taking shelter in a variety of places such as caves, mines, build- Identification of Florida Bats ings, bridges, culverts, rock crevices, under tree bark, and amongst foliage. Many species congregate in nursery Thirteen species of bats live in Florida year-round (Tables colonies during the spring and disperse in July and August. 1 and 2; Bats of Florida poster). Three other species The crowding of many bats into a nursery colony during occasionally occur along the northern border of the state spring and summer raises the temperature of the roost to (Indiana myotis—Myotis sodalis, northern long-eared more than 100°F. Because young bats have no fur, they need myotis—Myotis septentrionalis, and silver-haired bat—La- warm and humid conditions to survive. sionycteris noctivagans), and four others occasionally occur in south Florida (buffy flower bat—Erophylla sezekorni, Most bat species in Florida produce one offspring per year, Cuban flower bat—Phyllponysteris poeyi, Jamaican fruit- although several species produce litters of two to four pups. eating bat—Artibeus jamaicensis, and Cuban fig-eating Species that roost in caves, buildings, and tree hollows tend bat—Phyllops falcatus). These twenty species represent 3 to be gregarious and have only one pup at a time. Foliage- families. Family Vespertilionidae (twilight bats) are the roosting species tend to be solitary and have more than best represented with 13 species, whereas three species are one pup at a time. Foliage-roosters often possess thicker present from family Molossidae (free-tailed bats), and four and more colorful fur than colony-roosting bats. Like other species from family Phyllostomidae (New World leaf-nosed mammals, all young bats are fed milk from their mothers bats). until they are capable of foraging on their own. All twilight and free-tailed bats that occur in eastern Bats are an important part of natural ecosystems. They prey North America are insect eaters and can be divided into upon insects, some of which are agricultural or human two groups: those that spend at least a portion of the year pests. For example, the Brazilian free-tailed bat (Tadarida in caves (Table 1) and those that roost in other types of brasiliensis) consumes several species of moths that are structures (Table 2). When caves and trees are scarce, agricultural pests, such as the fall armyworm (Spodoptera bats may roost in man-made structures such as buildings, frugiperda), cabbage looper (Trichoplusia ni), tobacco culverts, bridges, or bat houses. budworm (Heliothis virescens), and corn earworm or cotton bollworm (Helicoverpa zea). The Brazilian free-tailed bat Historically, caves provided safe environments with stable is common throughout Florida and typically lives in very temperatures ideal for bat colonies. Because cave-roosting large congregations. Recent research in south Georgia has bats may congregate in large numbers (hundreds of demonstrated that these bats consume many of the insect thousands) and because cave habitats suitable for bats are pests that afflict pecan groves, suggesting that bats may limited in number, cave-dependent bat species are extreme- play a role in integrated pest management (IPM) planning ly vulnerable to human disturbance. Human disturbance, on pecan farms. (See http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/uw289 for such as that caused by recreational caving activities, stresses more information on the role of bats in pest management.) bats and causes them to waste valuable energy, which may Bats also create nutrient-rich guano (feces) that acts as a result in abandonment and mortality of young. Destruction fertilizer, supporting ground-dwelling life beneath roosts of suitable cave habitat through vandalism, commercializa- in caves and improving soil quality wherever bats defecate. tion, flooding by reservoirs, and other causes has resulted Bats are important animals in scientific research, providing in population declines to the point that several species face insights into such diverse topics as hibernation, sonar, and the threat of extinction. The need for cave conservation and blood clotting. protection of bat colonies (natural and urban) from human disturbance is critical for the continued survival of these This document describes the species of bats that occur in fascinating animals. Florida and provides simple tips for their identification. Many bat species look very similar and cannot be defini- Knowledge of the roost site preferences coupled with tively identified without holding the bat in hand and taking the physical characteristics of each species can help in measurements of various body parts. Please note that wild distinguishing among species of bats (Tables 1 and 2). The animals should never be pet, touched, or captured without three species of free-tailed bats are the only bats with tails proper training and permits from the Florida Fish and that extend well beyond the tail membrane, resembling Bats of Florida 2 the tail of a mouse. The four species of leaf-nosed bats are Mazotti, F., and H. K. Ober. 2008. Conservation of Bats in the only bats with a fleshy flap or noseleaf on the snout. Florida. MG342. Gainesville: University of Florida Institute Other characteristics important to the identification of of Food and Agricultural Sciences. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ Florida bats include the color of fur on the back (including uw291 whether or not the color changes from the base to the tip of each hair), shape of the fleshy part of the ear (the tragus), Ober, H. K. 2008. Insect Pest Management Services Provided position of attachment of the tail membrane, length of hairs by Bats. WEC247. Gainesville: University of Florida on the toes, and the presence or absence of a fleshy keel on Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. http://edis.ifas. the calcar (a cartilaginous structure on the rear edge of the ufl.edu/uw289 tail membrane—see Figure 2). Ober, H. K. 2008. Effective Bat Houses for Florida. WEC246. Gainesville: University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/uw290 Whitaker, J.O. Jr., 1998. Mammals of the Eastern United States. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. Figure 2.